Complete set of fifty 1888 N19 Allen & Ginter "Pirates of Spanish Main" cards, all graded and encapsulated by SGC. Presented is a very attractive high-grade complete set of these extremely popular and colorful tobacco cards, with twenty-two cards ranging from Ex to Nr/Mt, eleven are Vg-Ex, eleven Vg, and six lesser. This is a very strong set across the board, with almost all cards having a far superior appearance to the harsh SGC assigned grades (as is often the case with nineteenth-century tobacco cards). The complete SGC condition composite follows:One NM 84: #13. Six EX/NM 80: #5, 8, 30, 45, 48, and 49. FifteenEX 60: #7 Sir Henry Morgan, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 25, 27, 31, 36, 39, 43, 44, 47, and 50. Eleven VG/EX 50: #9 Captain Kidd, 11, 12, 16, 19, 23, 29, 40, 41, 42, and 46. Eleven VG 40: #3, 4, 20, 24, 28, 32, 33, 34 Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, 35, 37, and 38. Five GOOD 30: #1, 2, 6, 10, and 26. One FAIR 20: #18. Issued with Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, the set is entitled "Pirates of Spanish Main." Each card features a portrait image of a legendary pirate (such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Sir Henry Morgan, etc.) on the front with a beautiful color lithograph of a scene relating to the individual's field of interest. The back of each card features the biography for the pirate, respectively. This is an extremely attractive set, with fascinating subject matter, and with outstanding eye-appeal. This set is from the collection of an very advanced old-time nonsport collector. Allen & Ginter's "Pirates of Spanish Main" are rarely offered as a complete set, and are highly prized by historical collectors and nineteenth-century non-sport tobacco-card collectors. Total 50 cards. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000+. SOLD FOR $4,113

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